HUGUES SINEUX is a classically trained French artist and muralist based in Sydney, Australia.

With over 25 years experience, Hugues has transformed hundreds of public and private spaces with painted murals, trompe l’oeil and frescoes both in his native France and now in his new home Australia. His diverse work spans single canvas paintings through to multi-mural projects including several primary schools and council commissions. Drawing enormous inspiration from history and architecture, Hugues is passionate about creating visually striking pieces that hold deep meaning for their communities and leave a lasting impact on the lived experience of each space.

Roseville Public School - Sydney 2017

Exterior mural of approx. 14m x 8m on brick - February 2017

As Roseville Public School, on Sydney's North Shore, has grown substantially over the years, it features buildings of varying ages and architectural styles. The library block built in the 90s, is centrally located within the school grounds, and its end wall faces into the main playground. Hugues had the wonderful opportunity to transform this enormous brick facade into a grand theatre stage.

The first step was to give the brickwork an overall patina to help the building blend more cohesively with the surrounding buildings. Then, a beautiful trompe l'oeil scene was painted, turning the foreboding and featureless brick wall into a lively outdoor theatre, complete with grand windows, performing students and red velvet curtains. In the centre, a young girl pops her head out from backstage, and a selection of decorative architectural elements completes the fresco.

Photographs courtesy of Bruce Thompson.

Mural: Dural Lane, Hornsby - Sydney 2016

Exterior mural of approx. 200m in length on brick - September – December 2016

This grand public work, commissioned by Mayor Steve Russell of the Hornsby Shire Council, is located in the west of the suburb.

Dural Lane is a busy thoroughfare opposite Hornsby Train Station, off Peats Ferry Road. Despite being unique in its style, as it still features many old heritage buildings and facades, the laneway had become quite sad and dingy over the years, plagued by graffiti and general neglect. The Council was keen to find a way to revitalise this area for the many locals who use the laneway every day, as well as combating the growing presence of grafitti vandalism.

In consultation with Mayor Russell, Hugues set about to reinvigorate Dural Lane, using Hornsby's vibrant history as inspiration. Paying homage to the area's heritage, the extensive trompe l'oeil scene extends roughly 200 metres in length and features a vintage, two-storey street scene of traditional shop fronts, retro signage and architectural elements including windows and doorways. The centrepiece of the mural is a homage to the iconic Australian comic strip character Ginger Meggs. Created by Hornsby resident Jimmy Bancks in the 1920s, the red-haired mischief-maker Meggs was based on Bancks' childhood friend and Hornsby local Charlie Somerville, who went on to become a prominent businessman and councillor.

The Dural Lane mural has garnered extensive praise, and has had fantastic feedback from locals who have been thrilled with the lane's transformation into a light, bright and jovial celebration of local heritage.

Photographs courtesy of Bruce Thompson.

Dural Lane Mural - time lapse

Heritage Building: Francheville Church, Normandy - France 2016

Interior mural works - Normandy, France 2016

In 2016, the Atelier Sineux Frères (a studio headed by Hugues and his brother Jean-François) was commissioned by the Normandy village of Francheville and the local Archdiocese to repaint the interior of the village's heritage listed 16th century church.

Originally decorated by Italian painter Just Michelli in 1896, the church's interior featured a stunning array of decorative flourishes and religious iconography that was sadly succumbing to the ravages of age.

Hugues and Jean-François set about the painstaking task of replicating Michelli's work once the builders had made extensive repairs to the building. While not an official restoration (due to the building's extreme decay), the artists took great care to mimic the wonderful original paintings in as much detail as possible, to preserve the original artist's intent for this historical building.

The village hope the painted works inside their reinvigorated and significant church will last another 120 years for their community.

Carlingford West Primary School - Sydney 2016

In 2016, Hugues was commissioned by Carlingford West Primary, situated in Sydney's greater Hills district, to paint two murals; one for the school's library and another on a prominent storage building.

The library's long exterior now features a playful array of colourful books, flapping and flying through the skies, high above our world. The storage building features a beautiful Australian bush landscape, populated with native flora and fauna.

Mural: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville - Sydney 2015

This lively mural is Hugues' second commission from Marrickville Council's highly lauded 'Perfect Match' program, which matches muralists with local residents and business owners looking to revitalise their public spaces with a vibrant work of public art.

Hugues had a fantastic experience working with Yaron Hallis, the exuberant owner of inner west jazz venue Camelot Lounge and frontman of the award-winning Gypsy fusion band Monsieur Camembert.

Inspired by the film Le Bal, this mural also draws on the cubist work of Sonia Delaunay to create a merry ballroom scene in full swing, attended by an eclectic bunch of characters drawn in stylized forms. A homage to all the dance halls and music venues that have withstood the test of time, it adorns the wall of one of Sydney’s iconic music lounges.

Warrawee Public School - Sydney 2015/2017

In 2015, Hugues was commissioned by Warrawee Public School to complete two murals for their grounds; a work on one of their demountable buildings and a wrap-around mural for their student toilet block.

The demountable mural features a bush landscape, while the toilet block has been revitalised into 'The Warrawee', an imaginary ferry that allows students to escape on a nautical adventure during playtime!

In 2017, Hugues was invited back to the school and asked to complete two more murals. Indoors, the school library now features a magical fairytale landscape complete with a soaring castle and books flying through the air in all directions. Outside, another school building off the playground has been transformed into a 'treehouse'; a painted footbridge gives the illusion of the depth, leading to a miniature version of the school, nestled in the treetops, tying the brick building into the school's surrounding natural environment.

Photographs of the school library and 'Treehouse' are courtesy of Bruce Thompson.

Mural: DiLorenzo Coffee Merchants, Marrickville - Sydney 2015

Mural: Di Lorenzo Coffee Merchants, Sydney 2015

This mural was commissioned by coffee wholesalers Di Lorenzo Coffee Merchants. It features prominently on the exterior facade of their HQ, buried deep in the industrial heart of Marrickville. This classic yet contemporarywork, in a style reminiscent of mid-twentieth century commercial illustration, captures the spirit of the business and makes the most of the otherwise plain painted brickwork to promote the excellent product that lies waiting within...

Willoughby Public School - Sydney 2014/2017

Willoughby Public School is located on Sydney's North Shore. Hugues completed two murals for the school, one on the exterior of a beautiful old building within the grounds and another within the entrance to the students' toilet block.

Bedtime Story, the external mural, is a whimsical night-time scene featuring a troupe of animal characters, including a very impressive elephant tenor, putting on a musical performacne on an open stage in a fairytale landscape.

Animal Portrait Gallery, the internal mural, evokes a grand country house hall within the covered entrance to the boys and girls bathrooms. The high-ceiling interior was painted to ressemble wallpapered walls covered in paintings of Australian wildlife. Classical animal portraits sit alongside bright pop art inspired works, and all beneath a plywood cut-out chandelier! The entryway to the boys toilets sports a dapper kangaroo, while the entryway to the girls toilets features a playful emu.

Hugues returned to Willoughby in 2017 to complete an exterior mural, wrapping around a staircase in the playground. Representing a fun play house of sorts, the scene depicts over-sized books stacked in and around an array of faux windows and doors.

Mural: Alice Lane, Newtown - Sydney 2014

This is the rear entrance to a private residence in Sydney's hip Newtown neighbourhood. Hugues worked with the family to find a suitable subject matter that would help brighten up the otherwise dreary and graffiti-plagued inner city laneway.

This mural was part of Marrickville Council's inaugural 'Perfect Match' street art program. Property owners and artists are brought together to create unique and vibrant murals for otherwise unadorned public spaces. The program was devised to help foster the local area's street art scene while at the same time discouraging illegal and unwanted graffiti and tagging.

Perfect Match - celebrating art in public spaces

Cammeray Public School - Sydney 2014

Hugues had the great pleasure to work on three individual murals for Cammeray Public School in 2014.

Abstract After Paul Klee was a piece painted along the balcony of a classroom building, and runs 20 metres in length. Inspired by artist Paul Klee, the work features a lively and colourful geometric pattern, breaking up the brick and concrete exterior. Two demountable classes were each painted with their own distinctive imagery. One sports a framed landscape with uniformed students clambering about inside, while the other is a mural of the alphabet with Australian animals representing each of the letters.

Artarmon Public School - Sydney 2013

Artamon Public School, Sydney 2013

The Principal of Artarmon Public School commissioned a series of four murals within the school grounds. This colourful, circular piece pictured is situated in what was a dark, covered courtyard near the water fountains. The aim was obviously to brighten the space for the students, but it has had an added impact in providing a historical context for the school grounds as a whole. The inspiration was the work of French artist Sonia Delaunay who was one of the first avant garde female painters at the very dawn of the Art Deco movement. It seemed a fitting tribute to the school itself which was founded in 1928 - the same time as Delaunay’s dynamic work was in its heyday. (Photograph: Niki Hughes Photography)

The second piece featured here, 'the hopscotch mural', is a new take on one of Hugues' French murals, this time drawing heavily on both the palette and the energy evoked by the graphic abstract. The hopscotch piece breathes new and colourful life into our conception of a classic school yard game, and has proven to be hugely appealing to both children and adults alike.

Northbridge Public School - Sydney 2012

The unlikely inspiration for the school's entrance mural (approx. 25 x 3 meters) came from the dozens and dozens of scooters that many Northbridge children ride to school each morning. This wall stretches out along from the main entrance to the grounds into the central playground, with a bike and scooter parking area to the far side. The Principal wanted to capture some of the vitality and frenetic activity thatgoes on each morning as the kids descend on the school, playing and laughing before the start of their school day. The wheels of the scooters banked up at the edge of the playground became the central inspiring motif in this particular mural design, while the school uniform inspired the colour palette. This is one peice in a series of six murals completed by the artist within the school.

Another of the murals at the school is The Clock Tree. Displaying Hugues' versatility, The Clock Tree is a fantastical piece that livens up an otherwise plain brick wall, with a playful take on the nature of time in the life of a young student!

Mural: Argentan Hospital - Argentan, France 2010

The internationally renowned French modernist artist Fernand Léger was one of the first cubist painters and a key influence on the avant garde movement of the 20th Century and modern advertising design. Born in Argentan in 1881, this mural commemorates the man with both a portrait and extended quote (taken from an article he wrote for the influential culutral magazine Le Lettres Françaises in the 1950s) in which Léger reflects upon the unique challenges of life as an artist. Working closely with Architectes des Batiments de France (a heritage and landmark authority, part of National Urban Planning), this piece is painted on a four-storey 19th Century building that originally housed the hospital’s palliative care unit, now functioning as an administration building. This work forms part of a general building and renovation program for the hospital, which will be renamed after Léger at the renovation works’ completion (expected sometime in 2014).

Mural: Le Marché, Argentan - France 2008

This piece forms a striking backdrop for Argentan’s town centre, which has a long history as an open-air, fresh produce marketplace. One of the many towns of Normandy heavily bombed during World War II, the town centre and market square were completely rebuilt after the liberation of France. A place of immense cultural diversity, the marketplace is a hub for this region as people from all over the countryside flock to sell their produce, meet with friends and stock up for the week ahead. This wonderful, busy community hub directly inspired the piece, capturing many of the locals and their individual activities. The F. Leger mural portrait that you can see in the background is part of a seperate commission for the Argentan Hospital

This public commission pays homage to three French artists. Andre Mare and Fernand Léger, both internationally renowned painters, were born in the town of Argentan. Jacques Tati, the iconic French filmmaker, filmed the opening scene of his classic silent comedy Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr Hulot’s Holiday, 1953) on location at this station. The Client requested a feature to decorate this high-traffic area for those who regularly travel between Paris and this regional centre. Léger’s bold geometry and colour palette are clearly at play, as the expressive linework evokes the busy, bustling scene of Tati’s film. Each of the three artists are also physically represented in the painting, interacting amongst a host of other characters who represent the diversity of interests and occupations in the community.

Heritage Building: Ménil Gondouin Church, Normandy France 2004-2006

Facade of Ménil Gondouin Church Normandy

Church of Menil-Gondouin mineral paint on stone; (interior and exterior restoration)Location: Normandy, FranceClient: Town Mayor, The Doicese of Sées, French Historical Building ArchitectsYear: 2004-2006

This unique church was first decorated by priest Victor Paysant who wanted to create ‘a living, speaking church’. Beginning in 1873, he covered the building inside and out with colourful images and biblical sayings that he hoped would resonate with the local farming community. It looked and felt completely ahead of it’s time. Upon the priest’s death in 1921, the local religious authorities quickly saw fit to limewash the controversial walls of the church, destroying this powerful example of populist art. Ironically, the limewash preserved some of the paint, helping this local legend to be rediscovered in the 1980s. Heritage France helped to initiate a funding drive which secured enough funds from private citizens, the church and European and regional sources alike to completely restore the building to Paysant’s vision. Having to rely on black and white photographs, postcards and scrapings to decipher the exact pigments used by Paysant, Hugues and his brother Jean-Francois were astounded to come across a first-hand account of the building in its prime. An elderly local woman, well past 100 years, remarked that the colours were wrong after seeing a scale model of the intended restoration. Despite her age, she had excellent vision and memory, remembering the church and priest well. She was able to assit the Sineux Brothers in discerning the exact tonal range of the paintwork. She got her granddaughter to mix watercolours, and hitting upon the right shade, she would send off the sample, allowing Hugues and Jean-Francois to match the colours exactly.

This residential block sits alongside a local primary school in the centre of Caen. The retired school teacher who lived in the top floor apartment of this building would often look out at the playground beneath and lament the lack of colour and interest in the environment for the students.

For the benefit of those school children, the retiree convinced the other residents of her buillding to commission a gift that would enliven the local landscape and provide a fun, inspiring point of interest for the school community.

The inspiration for the image itself was provided by Hugues' own niece, who he spied one day from a first floor window, playing hopscotch on the street below.

Since the mural was completed, the image has become a popular local landmark inextricably linked to the primary school below.

Street View, Hopscotch Girl

Paintings & Exhibitions

Paintings

In addition to his extensive and varied mural work, Hugues is an accomplished painter, working predominantly in oils and acrylics. His signature atmospheric European interiors and urban landscapes draw heavy inspiration from American Realism, a movement of the early 20th Century defined by its focus on everyday social realities, and often associated with American painter Edward Hopper. Hugues makes the style his own with his intense focus on dramatic lighting, and an occasional capricious flourish.

Recently, Hugues was awarded Second Prize in the Painting (Rural Subject and/or Landscape) Class at the 2015 Royal Arts & Crafts Show, for his landscape 'Sandy Hollow'.

A collection of European interiors and Australian landscapes on canvas are available through Marcia Moulton, Director of Moulton Galleries in Mosman, Sydney.

Northbridge Baths, Sydney - 2016

This private commission landscape painting is of a unique view of Sydney Harbour. The client's husband is a regular and enthusiastic swimmer at the Northbridge Baths (like my wife!), so the client wanted to immortalise the Baths for him as a gift. She managed to locate a spectacular view of the Baths from a neighbouring home so that I could recreate it on canvas. One of the best kept secrets of the Harbour!

(Acrylic and varnish on canvas; 2 x 1.4 metres)

Private Commissions

Rooftop, Sydney - 2016

The client, living in a beautiful classic terrace in Sydney's Newtown, wanted to decorate the corrugated roof at the back of her home as her study looked right out onto it. She was initially interested in a garden trompe l'oeil but once I studied that possibility closely, we soon realised that the corrugated surface would distort the image too much for a satisfying scene. We settled on a more decorative design, inspired by William Morris wallpaper designs with a Margaret Preston palette.You can see the image flowing straight over part of the skylight. The client was very happy with the end result, and thankfully the neighbours like it too!

Trompe l'Oeil, Sydney Residence - 2015

Hugues had the great pleasure of working on this courtyard in an inner city apartment in Sydney, in late 2015. The client was interested in brightening up the space with a classic Tuscan-style fresco, and it was her family home in the countryside that became the inspiration. Having visited the client's country property, Hugues recreated the view from a specific vantage point as the trompe l'oeil scene you can see here underneath the courtyard's staircase.

Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie, French for "Chinese-esque" is a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences. The style held particular favour during the Rococo period and the court of Louis XV.

This is one of six painted canvases in the chinoiserie style commissioned for a hotel particulier in France. Each painting hangs over a doorway in one large drawing room.

Alyma Boutique, Paris, France

This boutique in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement offers a range of designer clothes mixed in with antique furnishings for an international clientele. Here, the artist transformed the walls with faux boiserie (faux decorative wooden panels) and trompe l'oeil visions of extra rooms in a living room atmosphere. The floor boards were decorated with 18th century motifs and given a patina finish.

Painted Sky

The ceiling of this 18th century private residence in Versailles (just a stone's throw from the Chateau) was considered by it's owners to be too low. To open it up, add light and height to the room, the artist was commissioned to paint a sky trompe l'oeil as seen through the cross-beams, covered in rose-vine, of a pergola.

Decorative panels

These painted decorative panels are typical of interiors from 18th century France. In this private residence in Normandy, the artist was commissioned to paint panels exactly in the style and colour tones they would have been painted in their hey day.

Trompe l'oeil Stone Staircase

When the new owners of a run-down Normandy castle called upon Hugues Sineux for ideas to bring the former glory of their castle staircase walls back to life, he impressed them with his ability to transform these plain, cracked walls into a grand staircase of trompe l'oeil sandstone, complete with decorative pillars and stone detailing.